Toner Defends State IG Against Podesta’s Questions

After Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta said that he has serious questions about the Department of State Inspector General and his ability to be unbiased, deputy spokesperson for the Department of State, Mark Toner, was able to respond.

“Does the Inspector General’s office have the confidence of the current leadership in the State Department, including the Secretary, and do you think it’s appropriate for the campaign to be complaining?” a reporter asked.

“Well, as you know, the Inspector General’s office operates independently from the State Department. Rightfully so, given their mandate to look into these kinds of issues,” Toner said. “They need to have that kind of freedom. But, I believe the Secretary has every confidence in the Inspector General’s ability to carry out his mission.”

“So you do not share the same concerns as Mr. Podesta?” another reporter asked.

“Again, we have confidence in his abilities to conduct independent investigations,” Toner said.

“It’s actually less about the investigation, it’s more about things that they see as being leaked, you know partial bits of information,” the reporter said. “But anyway, the answer is no, the secretary and the building has confidence in the IG?”

“Yes, yes,” Toner said.

It has been the duty of the Inspector General of the State Department to investigate the questions that surround Hillary Clinton’s time as Secretary of State, including her use of her private email server, the special job arrangements for Clinton’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Huma Abedin and the involvement of the Clinton Foundation in government business.

Jack HeretikEmail Jack | Full Bio | RSSJack is a Media Analyst for the Washington Free Beacon. He is from Northern Ohio and graduated from the Catholic University of America in 2011. Prior to joining the Free Beacon, Jack was a Production Assistant for EWTN's The World Over and worked on Sen. Bill Cassidy's 2014 campaign.